Freeh will join the 122-year-old Philadelphia-based firm’s
executive committee, Pepper Hamilton said today in a statement.
Lawyers at Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan LLP will become members of
Pepper Hamilton’s white-collar litigation and investigations
group.

Freeh, 62, a former federal judge who led the Federal
Bureau of Investigation from 1993 to 2001, serves as a
bankruptcy trustee for MF Global Holdings and issued a 267-page
report last month on Penn State’s handling of the scandal
surrounding Jerry Sandusky, the former assistant football coach
convicted of dozens of counts of sexual abuse.

Founded in 1890, Pepper Hamilton has more than 500 lawyers
in seven states and the District of Columbia, according to the
firm’s website. The merger will be effective Sept. 1.

Navy SEAL

The deal includes the acquisition of Freeh Group
International Solutions LLC, a consulting firm that advises on
risk, compliance and security. The group, whose staff includes a
former U.S. Navy SEAL, will keep its name and continue to
operate independently of the law firm under the leadership of
James Bucknam, its president and chief executive officer,
according to the statement.

“This transaction will allow us to do a lot more than
conduct investigations and uncover problems,” Freeh said in the
statement. “We will now have the depth to react quickly to
sophisticated, complex issues anywhere in the world.”

Freeh’s relationship with Pepper Hamilton dates back to his
government days, the former judge said in a phone interview.
Pepper attorneys assisted Freeh’s group on the Penn State
investigation, the MF Global bankruptcy and a Daimler AG bribery
case, Freeh said.

At Pepper Hamilton, Freeh will divide his time between
conventional legal matters and investigations, though the latter
are his passion and have been since he began as a 25-year-old
FBI agent in New York working organized crime cases, he said in
the interview.

“We have been growing slowly since we started six years
ago and have had some good-sized engagements,” Freeh said.
“This combination is a good opportunity to have a larger
platform and access to resources in terms of white-collar
investigations, and the cultures fit well together.”